The world faces profound challenges. Our global interconnectedness has produced complex problems unlike any in history, from existential threats like climate change to terror that transcends borders and shakes our faith in each other. And all the while the forgotten poor struggle invisibly, even here in our own community.

In Silicon Valley, we are wired to find solutions. That’s what engineers do, and our region has thrived on that mindset. The question is: How do we summon the courage, the confidence, the commitment to look past dark days and see the capacity for positive change that we can deliver?

You don’t last long in the innovation economy without bringing a little optimism to work every day. That’s what I did as CEO of Applied Materials for nearly three decades. I drew enormous inspiration from our team of can-do innovators who see dreams as just another work plan for what needs to be done next. And the breakthroughs came, one after another.

As my generation of Silicon Valley pioneers makes way, a wave of diverse young people is on the rise. They inherit enormous technological advantages and the ability to impact the world at a scale we couldn’t imagine when we laid the foundations of the information age.

We owe them two debts.

First, we need to do everything we can to deliver them a healthy planet. Every effort toward meaningful environmental conservation today is an investment in our kids and their future.

Second, we need to equip them to do good by teaching them to believe in themselves and to invest in their capabilities to solve problems. And we have to inspire them to reject empty promises and instead have the courage to take individual action and create change.

Thursday evening, Silicon Valley celebrated 15 years of The Tech Awards and showcased what can be done when brave and creative innovators use technology to address our greatest challenges. I am proud to have been one of the founders of this program, and like many others, find inspiration in the nearly 300 laureates who bridge the gap and link our technological achievements in Silicon Valley with a pressing need around the world.

These innovators change lives. They unlock problems that others had long since given up trying to solve. They show us what can be done and they rekindle optimism. I encourage you to seek out their stories.

In each Tech Award laureate we see an example of real progress, of technology benefiting humanity. The Tech is building on this program to create The Tech for Global Good. The idea is to harness its tremendous potential to reach young people and educators, to inspire problem-solving and cultivate the curiosity and determination that fuel innovation.

We share a responsibility to offer the next generation more than a legacy of global challenge. We must arm them with every skill and ignite their passion to take on our common challenges.

As CEO of Applied Materials, one of my favorite sayings involved the phrase “bad news is good news.” It appears to be a contradiction until you approach it like an engineer and understand that we can only begin to address the problems that we acknowledge. We can only fix what we first accept as broken. Once we set our sights on a problem, there’s no challenge we can’t overcome.

Today the world faces plenty of bad news. Let’s summon the strengths of Silicon Valley and ensure that our next generation can apply the benefits of technology for global good.

James C. Morgan, a recipient of the National Medal of Technology, is Chairman Emeritus of Applied Materials and author of the recently published “Applied Wisdom: Bad News Is Good News and Other Insights That Can Help Anyone Be a Better Manager.” He wrote this for The Mercury News.